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Thursday, May 09, 2013

Students Reacting To Secular Progressive Education Agenda

A group of Christian high school students have had enough and have created a video that is beginning to get some traction nationally.

In the video they are asking:

"Why can't I pray in school?"

"Why am I called names because I believe in marriage the way God designed it?"

"Why can't Tim Tebow praise God after making a touchdown without causing a national uproar?"

And other similar questions.

A new poll shows 61% of college age students want government to stay out of their lives.

Thankfully, it seems kids are starting to push back on the indoctrination they are receiving in public education and in the media.

I have some thoughts on the educational model they are rejecting and more on what these kids are actually doing about it.

Before we look at what the kids are doing, let's look at the public education model they are rejecting.

This is a brief overview of public education's current agenda, which is advancing a philosophy that has become common in our culture. A philosophy that rejects traditional biblical morality, and many of the long held traditions of American politics while undermining the fiscal policies that have allowed this country to prosper.

In 1989, Shirley McCune told the Governor's Conference on Education, "We no longer see teaching of facts and information as the primary outcome of education."

She continued, "What's happening in America today is a total transformation of our society. We have moved into a new era."

This was the beginning of a new and energized campaign to remake America. You will recall that President Obama often uses the term "remaking America," including on the occasion of his first 100 days in office when he told a high school group in Missouri that "the work of remaking America is well under way."

While the program has birthed several different models of implementation, such as "Race to the Top" and more recently "Common Core," it is at its core a program titled, "Sustainable Development." It was adopted globally in 2002.

I interviewed Tim LaHaye on my television program shortly after this program was presented in 1989. Both of us were concerned, and Tim made some predictions that have and are coming to pass.

By its very definition, to "totally transform" our society would be to destroy every aspect of life as we have known it: government, economy, lifestyle and morality.

"Sustainable Development" is the tool.

To some that suggests more efficient school buildings, office buildings, etc., which in part is true, however, the program goes far beyond mere buildings and facilities to include expanding mass transit, creating extremely high density in homes and apartments, overly restrictive urban growth policies and a redefinition of traditional values, ethics and foundational American principles.

In 2005, American public education, along with the global community, declared 2005 to 2014 the "Decade of Education for Sustainable Development." Billions of tax dollars have and are flowing to this endeavor. We simply know it as "providing an education for our children."

It is not uniquely American, but is closely related to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nation's "Earth Charter," both of which are integral parts of the "Decade of Education for Sustainable Development."

This material advocates strongly for globalism and a one world government.

It also redefines "Freedom."

Under these principles, there will be "acceptance of the constraints imposed by preservation of the common good which is indispensable to the exercise of freedom."

Translation: The people will be led to submit to imposed restrictions for whatever most benefits government, the facilitator of "the common good."

This is a philosophy of slavery and bondage, shaded as enlightenment and progressivism. It is destruction presenting itself as an angel of light.

Rather than preserving our national heritage, "Sustainable Development" teaches a radical environmentalism, a radical "green" agenda and curriculum, a worldview that devalues life through acceptance of evolution as undisputed fact and restricts lifestyle in order to lessen each individual "ecological carbon footprint."

When achieved, under the guise of "progress" or "moving forward," the government then dictates where we live, how we live, where we work, where and what we eat, where we go and how we get there and controls personal behavior through political correctness and multiculturalism.

Yesterday the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed by Roger Pilon who pointed out, among other things, how often President Obama talks up "collective effort," such as "You didn't build your business by yourself," ect., while he talks down personal ambition. This is a staple in his speeches as it was at the Commencement at Ohio State University this past Sunday. The government is always the facilitator in this worldview.

Here's the good news. Kids are beginning to push back on this agenda and its outcome.

A group of high school kids in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho who have been ridiculed for their Christian faith and beliefs have created a video titled, "The Thaw" and they are started to get national attention.

The kids who created the video say they refuse to be "frozen out" of the anti-Christian environment in public school because of their Christian beliefs.They are involved with Gary Brown and his Reach America organization.

The kids say they are determined to see their country as One Nation Under God---again.

A new poll has found that 61% of college-aged students want government to stay out of their lives.

Young America's Foundation found that college-age kids are becoming increasingly disenchanted with government domination in their lives and careers.

I have linked the article and the poll above. Please take a moment and read the article and review the poll.

This age group is saying, we went to college or received an advanced degree in hopes of bettering ourselves, however, they feel government involvement in their lives is hindering, not helping in achieving those goals.

Could this relate to the statement made by Shirley McCune in 1989: "We no longer see teaching of facts and information as the primary out come of education"?

I believe it does. I also believe it relates to the decline in American education compared to the rest of the world.

Adam Tragone, himself one of the college-aged group, wrote the article linked above.

In conclusion, he writes,

Many in Congress use scare tactics to call for more government spending, higher taxes, and more regulations to "even the playing field." That doesn't sit well with my generation. Seventy-six percent of respondents feel that government spending has to decrease if we are to have any hope of improving our economic situation, nearly 40 percent want less regulation, and nearly 60 percent want lower taxes.

If history teaches us anything, a lower tax rate, less spending, and less regulation is the recipe for success. When President Reagan signed the Economic Recovery Tax Act in 1981, 20 million jobs were created, inflation plummeted, and net worth of families earning between $20,000 and $50,000 increased by nearly 30 percent. Right now, our government seems content with the unemployment rate hovering around 8% and a drastically reduced work force. That's unsustainable and unacceptable.

As Milton Friedman said, "Governments never learn. Only people learn." It seems like my generation is doing just that.

This is most encouraging. Perhaps the tide is starting to turn and the far left progressives have once again become too confident, over reached and created a substantial push back from the very kids they are trying to indoctrinate.

I pray this is the beginning of something.Be Vigilant. Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful. Be Hopeful. Be Blessed.

9 comments:

Bless those kids! I am so proud of them. May their message go far and wide. May many join up with them in the stand for turning our country back to God of the Holy Bible, to the family as God has ordained it, to the church the light of the world and to pursue life, liberty and happiness in our great and wonderful country!!!! Let's not take their request for prayer lightly and let's support them also by spreading the word, sharing it with our own children/grandchildren, and getting active in local events in your communities so the voice of God can be heard and proclaimed! It takes each of us, one step at a time, one day at a time. I will always remember from my childhood an upstanding elder in my church who lead the worship and choir, taught the Sunday School class and lead the youth group, who was questioned on whether he was going to make a stand for Christ on some issue that I can't remember. I was shocked, disappointed and confused when he said, "Who am I? I am just one person." I didn't understand what he was saying. He was a leader in our church and yet believed he had no impact! What was he leading the choir, the youth and Sunday class for then? I think that phrase, "I am just one person", has "frozen" many believers over the years and we are seeing the results. For most of us, our own personal impact isn't going to effect the nations, but that is okay! Just because it doesn't reach the masses doesn't mean we should do nothing at all. Everyone around us in our daily lives are our mission field and are worth impacting! Once we have accepted Christ, our job is not just to sit back and enjoy the overflowing abundance of all His goodness, but to engage in spiritual warfare! He gives us our spiritual armor for a reason. Let's stand with these courageous and awesome kids and make a difference one step at a time, one day at a time! To God be all the Glory

It's very telling that YAF is not releasing any information about the poll (who was sampled, size of sample, where and how, etc.). I'm guessing that this is similar to the conservative funded polls that predicted a Romney landslide.